What characterizes the Sensorimotor stage of Piaget's theory?

The Sensorimotor stage, which spans from birth to approximately two years of age according to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, is primarily characterized by children learning through direct interaction with their environment. During this stage, infants and toddlers engage with the world around them using their senses and motor actions. They explore objects, manipulate them, and understand their properties through physical experiences.

This hands-on learning approach is pivotal for the development of cognitive abilities as it lays the foundation for later understanding of the world. Infants learn concepts such as object permanence—the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen—through direct experiences, highlighting the significance of sensory exploration and motor activity during this period. This interaction not only fosters physical development but also stimulates cognitive growth, as they begin to form mental representations of their experiences. In contrast, the other options relate to cognitive skills that develop in later stages of Piaget's theory, beyond the Sensorimotor phase.